Day 4

Medea Lesson Plan

Discussion of Thought Questions

1

What does Medea say about the nature of women? Why does she say these things?

(5 minutes)

Medea says women are “a little worthless.” She also describes herself as foolish. Students should note that she's unlikely to mean these things, but that she says them to convince Jason that she has calmed down and that he should take her gifts to the princess. This action is one of the most blatant examples of manipulation in the text, showing Medea to be a master manipulator.

2

Why doesn’t the Chorus stop Medea?

(5 minutes)

One of the reasons may be that the Chorus, which is made up entirely of women, may feel as dissatisfied with their standing in society as Medea does. Their inaction could...

Jason is a famed adventurer and so you could say Medea gains some of his kleos. Medea did not marry him for material benifit though really, she was madly in love with him and chose to travel from Colchis to marry him, killing her brother on the...